Change

AUGUST 5, 2020

By Roslyn Catracchia, Director of Worship

There’s been a lot of change in my life over the past few years. And just when I thought I was getting into the swing of things, finding a new, familiar, comfortable rhythm … bam! Change. Again. 

But what am I thinking? EVERYTHING in the world has been changed over the past months! We’re all experiencing it. So if you’re like me and you don’t like change, this isn’t comfortable! Certainly these are not blissful, happy days!

Interestingly, I have a precious few friends who strangely, unbelievably embrace change, seek after it like it’s enjoyable, and see it as a game even! This is such a foreign idea for me, very hard for me to comprehend. They change the position of furniture in their home every few months … for FUN! They enjoy doing it! Huh ... they upgrade their important music software in the middle of a project! Crazy. They try new foods at restaurants! Well, okay, even I will try just about everything at CPK.

But me, I really like the same. So when more change came my way and I knew that change I must, I decided to ask my friends on Facebook for a few words of advice. This is what I asked them:

Hi friends! I have to write a daily devotional for church soon, and I've decided to write about CHANGE. I'm not a fan. And yet, there is a lot of truth to what I recently heard, which is, "The only thing worse than change is NO change." Hmmmm. Gives me pause to pause and think .... I wrote a song long ago for “On Dragonfly Wings” called, "Change with the Times." I should listen to that again. Maybe I'll remind myself of some of the good things about change that I believed back when I wrote it. I’d love your help, everyone! If you could write one sentence or phrase about change, what would it be? Something you maybe have learned over the years, over the past weeks, or a phrase that's meaningful to you.”

Within 24 hours of this post, I had over 100 significant comments! I guess we’re all thinking about change. These are what some of my friends wrote:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can.”

“There’s gotta be a musical connection you can make. Change is the bridge of the song?”

“Revelation says, ‘we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed…’”

“Often, the change we fight most rigorously is the one which is the most rewarding, but it takes us a while to see.”

“We cannot experience peace without accepting that change is constant.”

“Change for me can trigger grief. Even my happiest, most anticipated life changes came with an element of grief… It seems to me that even the best of changes comes with little happy/sad feelings. But I’m the sentimental type.”

“Metanoia … to transform spiritually. And Mohala – Hawaiian for “to blossom” and transform in a way that is better than before.”

“Change is a catalyst for growth. Without it, we grow dry and brittle like old wineskins; inflexible and prone to bursting.”

“Sometimes the best changes come after chaos and destruction!”

“Change is the enemy of complacency and the catalyst of fortitude.”

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join in the dance.”

“Quiet your mind and look deep inside. Watch the past, live the present, look into the future, and you will find how you changed, how you are changing, and with some work, the change you need to make.”

“Change and I are not normally friends. She intimidates me. I often fight her. She makes me feel loss and fear and sadness, but she also makes me face myself, my fears, my shortcomings, but also reveals my strengths. It is a season of change and although she still scares me and makes me sad and pushes me out of my comfort zone, I must acknowledge that from past experiences God always uses change to, well, change me, and I can choose to get lost in the process or find who God wants me to be now. I will no longer live or make choices from a place of fear, but to look at all that I had with gratitude. No matter the circumstance, no matter the feelings of loss that at times overwhelms me, I will embrace change and the growth that she will move me into, and we will become friends.”

How amazing is that?! 

Another friend of mine in the news business wrote, “Even though I toiled for nearly 4 decades in the news business, I loathe change. That said, change of this magnitude = opportunity! That is definitely an angle to include.”

Hmmm .... that one got me thinking. Her witness, her experiences in over four decades of the news business. The magnitude = opportunity! 

Very interestingly, the most common response that I got from a number of people was, “The only thing that is constant is change,” a quote by Greek philosopher Heraclitus. I guess that dude understood the significance of change even back in 500 BC! (I had to look it up.) 

But the comment I want to end with is this: “What an encouragement to just read this thread!”  

And she’s right! After reading all of these comments and thoughts from dear friends of mine, I found that I was encouraged! Significantly encouraged! My heart felt lighter! I thought, “I can do this. WE can do this!”

There are countless Scripture passage that came to mind, but I’m going to leave you with just two. 

The first Scripture is on change, or non-change ☺ :

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Amen, amen, amen to that! Thank you, God, that you never change! 

The second Scripture is on friends:

“Encourage each other and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

That is what all of my friends did with me that night – they built me up. It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t reach out to them and ask. So I encourage you all to reach out to others during this time like no other time in our lives. Reach out when you need building up, and reach out to give help when you see someone in need.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you never change! Your promises are true yesterday, today and forever. Your love never changes from one season to the next. Thank you for showing us the joys in change, like the sky that is never the same from one moment to the next, like a flowing river that is never the same from one moment to the next. And thank you, thank you for giving us each other to build one another up at all times. In Your precious name I pray, Amen.

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